Margot Friedländer, a Holocaust survivor who lived in New York for over six decades before moving back to Germany in 2010 to champion Holocaust remembrance, has passed away at the age of 103. Her death, reported by the Margot Friedländer Foundation, was a significant loss in the fight for education and tolerance regarding Holocaust history.
Born in Berlin, Friedländer was forced into exile, and she married her husband, Adolf (Eddie), at a camp during their internment. Arriving in the United States in 1946, they settled in Queens, where they avoided discussing their traumatic history. It wasn't until after her husband's passing in 1997 that her spiritual journey back to Germany began.
“Talking about what happened helps me,” she shared with attendees at a 2023 UNICEF event, emphasizing the importance of connecting with younger generations. She found support and a platform for storytelling at the 92nd Street Y, leading her to enroll in a memoir-writing course where she began sharing her childhood experiences.
Friedländer's poignant stories won her accolades, including a feature on the cover of German Vogue, and cemented her position as an influential voice for Holocaust education in Germany. Her mission to promote remembrance and tolerance will echo through her foundation's ongoing work, ensuring her legacy lives on.
